Cory Gardner on Principles & Values

Giving up Energy Committee seat to run for Senate

Gardner is a rising star within the House GOP. Only in his second term, he is close to Republican leaders and was awarded a plum assignment on the Energy and Commerce Committee. That was a lot to give up for a Senate bid.

Early last year, political
handicappers viewed Udall, son of the late Rep. Mo Udall, as in good shape politically. But signs of Udall's political vulnerability grew. Like other Democrats, he drew blame for the troubled rollout of the health-care law. Criticism grew when his office
questioned the number of notices the state said people received saying their policies were being canceled because they didn't comply with the standards of the new law. In late January Gardner began to reconsider.

The two leading GOP contenders in the
race--Buck and Stephens--withdrew as the news broke about Gardner's decision to run. Still, Gardner expects a tough race. "We don't know if the [political] environment is better," he said. But "it certainly feels like it has turned the corner."

Member of the Tea Party movement.

Gardner is a member the Tea Party movement

The Tea Party movement is a populist conservative social movement in the United States that emerged in 2009 through a series of locally and nationally coordinated protests. The protests were partially in response to several Federal laws: the stimulus package; te healthcare bill; and the TARP bailouts. The name "Tea Party" refers to the Boston Tea Party of 1773, the source of the phrase, "No Taxation Without Representation."

Rated 100% by the AU, indicating opposition to separation of church & state.

Gardner scores 100% Americans United for the Separation of Church and State

Scoring system for 2014: Ranges from 0% (supports separation of church & state) to 100% (opposed to separation of church & state).

About the AU (from their website, www.au.org):Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) is a religious liberty watchdog group. Founded in 1947, the organization educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom. AU is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to preserving the constitutional principle of church-state separation as the only way to ensure religious freedom for all Americans.

Americans United fights for church-state separation of a wide variety of fronts. Here are some of the issues we work on. We encourage you learn more about each of them. Knowledge is power.

Religion in Public Schools and Universities

Creationism & Evolution

School Prayer

Bibles and Religious Texts in Curricula

Student Religious Clubs

Religious Music

Religious Displays and Holidays

Pledge of Allegiance

Use of School Buildings by Religious Groups

The Faith-Based Initiative & Government Subsidies of Religious Institutions